Cupola.



F. WILSHIRE.

GUPOLA.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 15, 1908.

Patented June 8, 1909.

- character descrl in view, the invention may I tion embed A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

NATHANIEL F. WILSHIRE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

G'UPOLA.

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it .appertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to cupol-as, and more particularly to those adapts to be used with liquid or gaseous :fuel. One object of the invention is to provide, in a on ola of this-description, means to support -t e material being melted, roasted or smelted; it being understood that fuel of the 7 ed cannot act as a support, as can the fuel in the case where coke or other solidfuelisused. v

Another objeotof the invention is to provide means for varying, atwillthe inclination pf the :culpola. v I

A furt er object of the invention is to make provision for. assin a blast of air .throu h the metal bat tore uce the carbon to a e-. sired amount.

1 With the above and other apparent objects e embodied in the form herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a construethe invention. Fig. 2 is-a longitudina sectional view of the cupola'. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of shown in the drawings, a .frame l is supsorted upon columns 2, and is provided with ownwardly o ening doors 3 supporting a basin 4 forme of suitable reh actory material, said basin having outletsortapholesfi (only one of which is shown) which may be 0 ened and closed hy-the means usually emp 0 ed and known tothose skilled in the art.

' upported on l is a chamber .6 having an-extension 7, the inclined floor of which I forms a supportfor the material to be melted or otherwlse treated by heat. To the upper end of extension .7 is connected a chimney 8.

The chamber 6 'may be lined with refractory material 9, and provided with an extension 10 which may have an opening therein for the introduction of any suitable form of hydro-carbon or gas burner; the position of Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed m 15, mos. sens-1m. 443,712.

I NATHANIEL F. WIL

Patented rune-s, 1909.

At each side of extension 10 may be; ositioned a'twyer 13, communicating wit an air jacket 14 surrounding a major portion of chamber 6 and its extensions 7 and 10. Said air jacket has an inlet 15 to which maybe attached a flexible conduit 17 commnmcating with any source (not shown) of supply of air'under ress'ure.

Extension 10 forms a combustion chamber wherein the fuel is mixed with the air entering through the inlets 13. One or more burners 21, having twyers 22 associated therewith, may be located on extension 7 intermediate of the junction of said extension with chamber 6, and chimne 8. The floor of extension 7 may be provi ed with a series of ribs 16, more clearly shown in Fig. 3', and the upper .part of said floor may be protected -from abrasion by a plurality of watertubes 18.. A gate 19 is provided to close the upper portion of extension 7; there being a so a gate '20 (provided, or not, with water conduits) to prevent the escape of gases from said extension when gate--19 is opened. Any number of suitably located pee -holes 11 may be provided in the cupola. o the lower portion of the cupola is secured a cradle 12 of cast metal or the like, having trunn'ions 23 on both of its sides; which .trunnions are fitted -in bearings 24 on the frame 1. The doors 3 are preferably hingedly secured on the bottom of cradle 12, and may beheld in closed position by the swinging bar 25, which bar an turn may be looked in position by any suitable means, latch 26 being shown forathe. urpose.

In order .to pass a last of air through the bath of molten metal, a pipe 27 may be fitted in the lower front .ortion of the cupola .to communicate with a not 28, which latter passes through the lining to the chamber 6. A rod 29'fitt in the pipe 27 and. .assing through a st box 30 in the head of the pipe, allows of the removal by an operator of the fireclay, orthe like, in the duct 28, when it is desired .to operate with the air blast; the rod being pushed rearwardly throu h the pipe and duct for the purpose of sue remova The pipe 27 has a fitting 31 to which is" attached a flexible conduit 3.2

of,air under pressure.

the burner being indicated by dotted lines.

connected with a suitablesource (not shown) 7 In order :to,move .the cupola tovary its I inclination, the device 33 shown in Fig. 1 is preferably employed. It consists of a screwshalt 34 trunnioncd at the bottom of the upper end of the cupola and fitting in an internally-threaded sleeve 35 which has a bevelgear 36 secured to the lower end thereof. In mesh with the-bevelgear 36 is a bevelpinion 37 keyed on shaft 38 which journals in a bearing 39; the latter being secured on top of a concrete pedestal 40. The shaft 38 has secured thereto a whey 41 which may be driven from a suitab e source (not shown) of power by sprocket-chain 42.

It is obvious that the fioor of extension 7 may have any configuration necessary to modify the rate of progress of the unmelted or the plastic material toward the bath. This configuration will depend largely u on the character the material assumes at di erent temperatures, and may be such as to give a steeper slope at the point or points where the rate of movement of the material requires to be accelerated.

A general description of the construction of the cupola having been given, its mode of operation will now be described. A quantity of material, say pig iron, having been deposited upon the floor of extension 7 gates 19 and 20 are closed and one or more of the burners started. The flame from the burners impinges upon the material in the lower part of .the cupola and passes upwardly in the direction of the arrow to chimney 8. As the material melts it collects in the basin 4. Gate 19 may be opened to insert more material in the upper part of extension 7, after which said gate may be closed and gate 20 opened,- whereupon the material slides down until it meets with the unmelted material remaining upon the floor of extension 7 it being understood that the inclination of the cupola may be varied at will and so adjusted by means of the device 33 that there may be a tendency to downward movement, by gravity, of the material upon the floor of extension 7. Should it be desired to reduce the amount of carbon in the molten material, an air blast may be passed throu h it while the material is being melted an collecting in basin 4; or the air blast ma be operated after most or all of the material has'been melted; it being understood that the blast may be discontinued when the desired constituency of the molten material is attained, which can be determined ap roximately from the appearance of the seen through the eepholes.

It will be readi apparent that the inclination of the cupolh may be adjusted to pile up the moltenmaterial in front of air duct 28, or otherwise. Also it will be understood that oxygen may be supplied from the twyers uncovered by molten material, whereby may be developed heat resulting from combustion of the carbon-monoxid which is formed bath in basin 4.

ame on the molten bath,

when the air blast passes through the metal It is to be understood that the term cupola is to be interpreted in a broad sense to comprehend other devices for treating material y confined heat.

I claim:

1. In combination, a cupola provided with an inclined support for material, and means exterior .to the cupola to move the same at will to adjust the inclination of said support.

2. In a cupola, a chamber having an inclined sup ort for material therein, a basin below said support, means for heating said material, and means on the exterior of the cupola to move the same at will to adjust the inclination of said support.

3. In a cupola, an inclined support for material, protecting means associated with a portion thereof, means to direct heat upon said material, and means to adjust the inclination of said support.

4. In a cupola, an inclined support for the material being melted, means to adjust the inclination of said support, means to direct heat upon said material, and means for passing air through the material when melted.

5. In a cupola, a heating chamber, an inclined material support therein, an air jacket, twyers connected to said air jacket and communicatin with said chamber, means to supply air un er pressure to said jacket, means for adjusting the inclination of the cupola, and means for passing air through the material when melted.

6. In a cupola, an inclined support for the material being melted, means to direct heat upon said material, and means for assing air through the material when melted? 7. In a cupola, a chamber having an inclined material sup ort therein, a basin for molten material be ow said support, means for directing heat on the material, means to adjust the inclination of the cupola, and means for passing air through the molten material.

8. The combination with a cupola, provided with an inclined support for material, a basin below said support, and means to direct heat upon said material, of means operable at will to move the cupola to adjust the inclination of said support.

'9. The combination with a cupola, .provided with an inclined support for material, and means to direct heat upon said material, of means on the exterior of the cupola to move it to adjust the inclination of said support at will.

10. The combination With a cupola havin therein an inclined support for material, 0 pivotal means associated with said cupola, and means operable at will for moving the cupola on said pivotal means to adjust the inclination of said support.

11. The combination with a cupola having therein an inclined support for material and two suhscribing witnesses' at Los Angeles a basin below said support, of pivotal means county of Los Angeles, State of California, 10 associated with said cu 01a, and means on this 6th day ofJuly A. D. 1908. V

the exterior of the cupo a for moving it on 5 said pivotal means at will to adjust the incli- W NATHANIEL WILSHIRE' itnesses:

nation of said support. i v In testimony whereof, I have. signed my ANNA B. DEssAU, name to this specification in the presence of Q ALEX. H. LIDDERS. 

